2005-2008: Ras Al Khaimah: Investment Promotion

ARABIAN OPPORTUNITIES FUND.

CLICK ON THIS http://www.ameinfo.com/89969.html

Arabian Opportunities 2 to invest 300 million euros in freehold properties in Ras Al Khaimah

Arabian Opportunities 2, a Hamburg based Property Fund, has opened its branch in a Free Zone managed by the RAK Investment Authority with a view to invest in real estate opportunities in Freehold Areas that are coming up in Ras Al Khaimah.

United Arab Emirates: Tuesday, June 27 - 2006

Nearly 300 million euros is being collected from investors in Germany for investments in real estate properties in the Middle East. RAK emerged as the favorite to harness the bulk of this fund thanks to its freehold laws and integrated master-plan with beach front tourism properties, mountain based projects and state of the art business and media zone projects.

Arabian Opportunities 2 RAK Branch which was registered in the RAK Investment Authority Free Zone is managed by Markus Müller (43, Banker and Insurance Manager ) and Markus Wagner (34, Grad. Business Administrator, M.A. hons.)

• There is a master plan in place for Ras Al Khaimah and the growth is planned. Infrastructural problems are not likely and there are plenty of freehold properties in the master-plan to accommodate foreign investor interest. The Marjan Island, The Al Hamra Village, the Minal Arab, the Gateway City are all seen as possibilities by the Fund.

The Wagners have also been encouraged by the trust reposed in them by the RAK Investment Authority.Dr Massaad has signed an MOU with the Wagners to promote Ras Al Khaimah as a destination for tourism and investments in the city of Hamburg and Lubeck where Mr. Adolf Wagner is an established name.

This project was my baby and my experience in handling Merril Lynch while at JWT came in very handy. What clinched this deal was the element of trust they had in us and the fact that we were able to understand the nuances of funds and international law. It also helped us get a base in Germany which is an important tourism market for us.

ALIVE WITH POSSIBILITIES An article from the FDI Magazine.

The once sleepy northern emirate of Ras Al Khaimah is bursting into life with a wealth of upscale leisure and commercial facilities in the pipeline.

The northern emirate, the seventh to join the UAE, which is zipping along with an annual growth of 4.4% GDP, is embarking on a massive tourism-oriented building plan that includes significant residential and commercial components. Everything from an ambitious spaceport to enormous theme parks and a 12-kilometre (km) ski slope are looming on the horizon, as the government aims to secure a larger slice of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) tourism cake.

The commercial real estate sector is also stirring into life with a spate of big deals hatched this year. Mirage Holdings FZCO, a Hollywood-based film production firm, will set up and operate Film and Media City, an investment costing $1bn. The Mirage Studio complex sits on 480 acres of real estate, close to the new Emirates Highway. In addition to the production studio, it will have an entertainment shopping centre, villas, apartments and office space for rent, a golf course and polo field.

Businessman Sultan Ali Lakhani has invested Dh150m in a television port and up-linking facility, which is attracting audio and film studios and news agencies.

Ends

The last two media projects were on my initiative and a direct result of my efforts. It came about through diligent one to one selling and follow up. In the case of Sultan Ali, we got him to cancel his investment in another Emirate and come to RAK. This was prompted by the kind of location we offered him and the fact that we understood the media business completely.

In the case of Mirage FZCO, too the selling point was that we understood the media business and were quick to react. The whole process of identifying the land and completing the lease and legal formalities hardly took 4 working days!!

VARIETY has carried a news report on this project:
CLICK ON THIS http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117948006.html

2005-2008: Ras al Khaimah: Media and Film City

Mirage to invest $1 billion in RAK

By

MEB Journal Staff

Hollywood-based production company Mirage Holdings said that it would invest $1 billion in the newly established Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) Media Free Zone and Film City.

The project will reportedly be built over two million square meters, including both film studios and a media entertainment complex hosting an international film museum, film-making academy, shopping mall, miniature golf course, polo field and residential housing, according to a press statement from Mirage.

The RAK Investment Authority licensed the company to begin operating in late May, but did not disclose when the project would be completed, according to Vinod Natesan, a representative of RAK's tourism office. He said the project would employ both local and foreign staff to produce Hollywood movies and local productions.

Mirage CEO Michelle Nickelson touted the reduced cost of visual effects at RAK. "Visual effects are becoming extremely expensive, with several $200 million plus budget films coming out this year," she said in a press release. "The biggest cost is not the stars, it is the effects. By being able to fabricate visual effects in RAK using top designers in the US, everyone wins."

"Whoever wants to set up a media industry here is most welcome," Natesan said. "We are not competing with anybody. We offer facilities and there are plenty of people coming." He added that in addition to Mirage Holdings, RAK will host Century Media Networks, a South Asian television production company as well as a yet to be announced Indian film company.

SILVER SCREEN DEBUT.

Emirates: N. Emirates, Volume 8

14.06.2006

Mirage Holdings, a spin off of the US's Nickelson Entertainment Group (NEG), has been licensed to operate in Ras al-Khaimah Media City (RAK Media City) and will set up one of the largest film and post-production centres in the world.

At the beginning of the year, Century Media Networks Incorporated, a South Asian group, leased the first 20,000 sq metre plot to be involved in television production and satellite up linking.Representatives of RAK Media City have explained that further expansion is possible once the existing zones are rented.

Still, those in Ras al-Khaimah insist that they are not in competition with Dubai; rather they are aiming to complement their southern sister. The emirate's mountain ranges and abundance of untouched land make it a "unique product" and will attract a certain kind of movie production team -different than an operation which would choose Dubai and Studio City. "We see Dubai and Ras al-Khaimah becoming a cluster," said an official at the RAK Investment Authority. "We are in the middle of the world - right between Hollywood and Bollywood. We will continue to make [the UAE] a focal point."

RAK MEDIA CITY. RAK Media Free Zone gets green signal

By Sadiq A. Salam.4 January 2006, Khaleej Times

RAS AL KHAIMAH — In what is being considered as a milestone in economic and social development, RAK authorities have given the green signal for the establishment of the RAK Media Free Zone (RMFZ).

The Century Media Networks Incorporated (CMNI), an overseas venture, has been given the go-ahead to establish the RMFZ under the aegis of RAK Investment Authority (RIA).

The new facility will play host to media establishments, television channels, studios for audio-visual productions and computer graphics houses besides animation studios. "It will issue licences to them under the RIA mandate," he said, adding that RMFZ will lease ready-to-use office space and up-linking facilities where required, to such licence holders.

The RMFZ will also establish Free Zone which will lease land to investors who wish to set up their own media facilities, be it a printing press, a film studio, an advertising agency, a magazine office or a television studio. "To make use of RAK's colourful and rich landscape besides its rich history and heritage that makes it the ideal venue for film shoots, film studios and establishments linked to the film industry are also being issued licence by the RMFZ," he said, pointing out that a leading film-maker from India has already expressed interest in setting up a Film City in RAK.

He said: "The social milieu of Ras Al Khaimah, which has a distinct and international feel, will be all the more richer with the influx of highly qualified professionals who prefer a sophisticated lifestyle of peace and tranquility."

GULF NEWS. RAK free zone will grant licences to media establishments.

By Nasouh Nazzal, Staff Reporter

Ras Al Khaimah: Media establishments, television channels, studios for audio-visual productions, computer graphics houses, and animation studios will be issued licences by the RAK Media Free Zone under the emirate's Investment Authority mandate, officials said yesterday.Published: 01/04/2006 12:00 AM (UAE)

Hollywood production firm to set up film city in RAK.Mirage Holdings FZCO, a Hollywood based filmproduction firm, will set up and operate a Film and Media City in Ras Al Khaimah with an investment of USD 1 billion.

United Arab Emirates: Sunday, June 11 - 2006

'Mirage Holdings FZCO has been licensed to operate the entire Film and Media City as a UAE Free Zone. The Mirage Studio complex sits on 480 acres of exceptional real estate just off the new Emirates Highway in RAK and is a short 25 minute drive to Dubai International Airport.

In addition to the production studio, it will have an entertainment shopping center, villas, apartments and office space for rent, a golfcourse and polo field. The total cost of the project will be close to USD 1 billion", said Michelle Nickelson.

Mirage Holdings FZCO is closely associated with Manex Entertainment, the visual effects studio which won back to back Academy Awards for the films, 'What Dreams May Come' and 'The Matrix'.

'With Manex, there was a brilliant design team and with Mirage, we have members of the same team on board. Visual effects are becoming extremely expensive, with several $200 million plus budget films coming out this year. The biggest cost is not the stars, it is the effects. By being able to fabricate visual effects in RAK using top designers in the US, everyone wins', she added.

Dr Khater Massaad, Advisor to the RAK Crown Prince and CEO of RAKIA, said that RAK Media City has issued free zone licenses to more than 20 companies which include two publishing companies looking at business publications, three television channels, designers, event organizers, advertising agencies and IT based operators, ever since its launch in January 2006.

He said that three films were shot in RAK last year and all of them have been hits. These include '36 China Town', 'Lakshmi', and 'Deewane Hue Pagal', all from India. Sultan Ali Lakhani, a leading businessman from Asia has invested AED 150 million in a television port and up- linking facility which is attracting audio and film studios in large number to RAK including news agencies.

http://www.ameinfo.com/88478.html;00:55:58

Small emirate in UAE to be base for largest film centre in region

Jun 11, 2006, 14:53 GMT

Dubai - The small emirate of Ras Al Khaimah (RAK), one of the seven sheikhdoms that make up the United Arab Emirates, is set to become one of the largest film production centres in the Middle East with the set up of a Hollywood film city project, the local newspaper Gulf News reported Sunday.

A film institute is also on the anvil, which will promote local talent and create a platform to address the global market.